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Elton leads the great Rich List giveaway

HE IS better known for his lavish parties, extravagant dress sense and six-figure flower bills. But Sir Elton John has emerged as the most generous of Britain’s super-rich, giving 12% of his £185m fortune to charity.

The singer, who has championed Aids awareness and treatment, gave £22.6m to good causes in 2004. He is estimated to devote about a fifth of his time to working for charity and raised more than £5m last year for his UK Aids foundation.

John’s generosity is revealed in a “giving index” compiled as part of The Sunday Times Rich List. It shows that the 30 most generous donors on the list gave more than £330m in 2004.

Britain’s super-rich can afford the largesse, having seen huge increases in their wealth during the Blair era. The country’s richest 1,000 people have assets worth almost £250 billion, a 23% increase in just 12 months.